1399

Number 1399 (Items 942 - 1083 & MR 67 - MR 80) (E-BLN 109 PAGES) 23 Apr 2022

BRANCH LINE NEWS

Distribuendi notitia, verbi disseminandi [ISSN 1354-0947]

Published 24 times a year by the Branch Line Society; founded 1955.

branchline.uk https://www.facebook.com/BranchLineSociety/

Membership queries: Lisa Sheppard [email protected]

186 AnlabymPaermk bReorasdhiSpo.suethcr,eHtaurlly,@HUbr4a7nBchUl.ine.0u7k873 354464

British Isles news from members; an international section is available.

Opinions are not necessarilyathvaoislaebolef .the Compilers or the Society.

BLN 1400 (it's 1500 actually...!) is dated Sat 7 May all contributions by Wed 27 Apr please

942] Minor Railways (MR) Booklet 34th Edition - 2022: All full members as at Sun 10 Apr should

wreictehiveeleactprorinnitcesducbospcryipotfioPneste-rtShcaottits'senvcieeewrtyy.obSnooeocikeeltxeyct.ebpyt post by the end if April; this includes all those
'Basic' Members (Category 'D'). If you do not,

please contact Lisa Sheppard, as above. The booklet lists all qualifying Minor Railways in the British

Isles - Standard and Narrow Gauge, Miniature, Tramways & Cliff Railways. It includes, as applicable:

Main line connections, gauge (7¼" and over are included), length of the passenger run, TRACKmaps

book and page number, owning company at Grouping, map reference of main station or boarding

point and telephone number. For narrow gauge and miniature railways, a layout code and other

details are included. There is a list of changes since 2021 and other information. Peter Scott's MR

website is http://www.minorrailways.co.uk/ for updates, downloads and much information.

943] REMINDER: Thank you to all members who have already renewed for another year. The rest are
due on 1 May. It is a great help to your Membership Secretary if you can please renew on our website,
which is secure. For those unable to do this please use the pink paper form with this paper BLN.

944] New Committee Member: We are delighted to report that on Sat 2 April at our BLS Committee
meeting in Nantmawr, our well-known member, steward, railtour raffler and Minor Railways fixtures
organiser Neil Lewis from near Chesterfield was co-opted onto your Committee (Paragraph 7 of our
constitution). He also updates our Railway Rights of Way website pages for the compiler, Rhys Ab Elis.
Neil is often seen on Society fixtures with one or more of his children, Ruby, Archie or Etty.

Date Event and details…... Please book online BLN Lead Status

Sat 23 Apr The Ore No More revised railtour (but still Class 50s!) 1397 MG OPEN

Sun 24 Apr It's a lot less bovver, with a hover… (& Island Line) 1398 MG OPEN

Sat 14 May The Metro Marauder (Class 455 EMU farewell) 1398 MG Waiting list

21-26 May BLS Northern Sweden tour (Nässjö based) 1398 IS Cancelled

Fri 3 Jun The Royal Charter Crewe - Windsor RBF charity tour 1395 MG OPEN

24-28 Jun BLS Silesian Explorer railtour based on Wrocław 1396 IS OPEN

Sat 25 Jun Leighton Buzzard Railway - Sandhill Explorer 1398 MG Waiting list

Sun 26 Jun Adrian Shooter's Beeches Light Railway 1395 MB OPEN

Sat 16 Jul London - Edinburgh mainline steam (Tornado) TBA TBA Claimed

22-24 Jul IOM minor railways (Fri-Sun) *SEE BELOW* BELOW TBA Claimed

Sat 30 Jul East Anglia branches loco hauled (was 8 Aug) TBA TBA Claimed
1398 MG OPEN
Sun 28 Aug Scunthorpe Steelworks No24 Summer Track Steeler

9-12 Sep Niedersachsen Explorer (North West Germany) 1370 PG Claimed

Fri 11 Nov Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway railtour TBA TBA Claimed

18-20 Nov Proposed AGM weekend (Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway etc) TBA TBA Claimed

IS = Iain Scotchman; MB = Martyn Brailsford [email protected] MG = Mark Gomm; PG = Paul Griffin.

BELOW: Gotthard in 2007 - see item 10

082 on the back page. (Heléna Moretti.)

945] Branch Line Society, Martin House Children's Hospice Fundraiser: This supports our recent
'Tyne Tees Tractors' charity tours with items of interest to most members. The auction closes at
21.00 on Sun 1 May but, to give everyone a chance, there is extended bidding. This means if you
were unsuccessful in an earlier lot, you can bid for a later one without the 'risk' of having to pay for
more than one item if you don't want to. If a bid is received just before the auction closes the
bidding time is extended by 3 minutes, then 3 minutes after each further bid until there are no more.

See https://www.32auctions.com/branchlinesociety2022 for details, to bid and details of the lots:

 A day out for one with 'Caroline' (975025) inspection saloon with Class 37/4 haulage/propulsion.
 Whitemoor Yard guided tour for two with Class 18 (& possibly a Class 08) cab ride round the yard.

 Crewe Electric Depot, guided tour for two.
 DB Cargo cab ride for two (see report in BLN 1398.843).
 GBRf freight service cab ride for two people (report BLN 1336.2358).
 GBRf Class 66 simulator driving experience for one person at Peterborough (the cab of 66734).
 Grand Central Class 180 cab ride for one (the most interesting sections are on the ECS bits!).
 DBC Toton Traction Maintenance Depot guided visit for two people.

 York ROC visit for two (the team behind our Martin House tours) and try the signalling simulator.

946] :Fri 22 - Sun 24 Jul IOM Weekend:: With thanks to our well known local members, John & Jenny
Williamson, Graeme Easton and Cade Williamson (no relation) our IOM fixtures (appropriately with
three legs) are proceeding. On Fri 22 Jul, allowing people to travel to the IOM that day, the 19'' gauge
Great Laxey Mine Railway will operate for us late afternoon/early evening. On Sat 23 Jul we visit the
complex 7¼'' Crogga Valley Railway (09.50 steam train from Douglas, walk from/to Port Soderick
station). On Sun 24 Jul the 2ft gauge Groudle Glen Railway is covered (09.40 tram from Derby Castle),
then, at 15.00, the Queen's Pier Restoration Trust at Ramsey will welcome us. Although rides will not
be possible, the Pier Tram is expected to be on the restored pier section for viewing (BLN 1385.2531).

A special email will be sent out (to those who have signed up for these) when bookings open; extra
track is anticipated at all the railways. The Steam, Manx Electric and Snaefell Mountain Railways all run
daily in Jul; the IOMSR has dining trains. On our website 'Archive', search 'Isle of Man Railways 2022'
and 'dining' for timetables and details. To follow, from 27-31 Jul is the IOM Summer Transport Festival.

https://www.steam-packet.com/ has ferry details; foot passengers can travel from Liverpool (a short
walk from Lime Street station) to Douglas for as little as £21 each way (2¾ hours) on certain sailings.
See https://bit.ly/3vlSFPX for 'Sail & Rail' to the IOM from your local station, with Railcard discounts.
Ferries are also available from Heysham, Belfast & Dublin. IOM flights are available from Gatwick,
Heathrow, London City, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Belfast and Dublin.

As members will know from our BLN reports and photos, the IOM is full of railway interest. Public
transport, including good bus services and heritage rail operations, is good value with a 'Go Explore'
card for 1, 3, 5 or 7 consecutive days at £17, £34, £41 or £50 respectively (Adult, Child and Family cards
are available). A 5-day 'Go Explore' Heritage Card (£63) also includes admission to all Manx National
Heritage attractions. Cards can be bought at https://bit.ly/3Eo4bi6 or outlets on the IOM (see link).
Cards start from the first 'tap in' and can be topped up; one day paper tickets are sold on buses/trains.

1399 BLN GENERAL (Paul Stewart) [email protected]

947] Light rail a bit light on funding: In March £150M of additional Pandemic support funding was
announced for bus and light rail operators in England. Light rail receive £37.8M: Metrolink £20.5M;
T&W Metro £7.3M; West Midlands Metro £2.7M; Supertram £4M; Nottingham NET £3.3M.
Blackpool trams receive no funding and, despite the lack of service running, the West Midlands Metro
does (presumably CAF is not covering all the losses - item 1039). Docklands Light Railway and London
Tramlink are not included because they are within the overall Transport for London settlement. This is
intended to last until the end of Oct 2022 and is the final Pandemic funding expected for light rail.

948] Early Railway Memories (76), 'The Birk' - Richard Weller (Member 2066): My railway enthusiasm
comes with two big regrets: One, it was not constant in earlier years and, two, I did not discover the
Branch Line Society much earlier. Earliest railway memories are as distinct as if it was yesterday.

Pointedly, miniatures are strong among them, a fascination that has endured. Boyhood home was
Dover and my mother would travel, always by East Kent Road Car Co bus, to Folkestone if she needed
some classy shopping (anyone visiting Folkestone shopping centre today would find that hard to
believe) or fresh fish from the trawlers. Being at Folkestone Harbour in the early 1950s had the sheer
awe and excitement of multiple 'R1s' pounding up the 1:30 incline to 'The Junction' with heavy boat
trains. What fascinated me just as much was the 7½" miniature line near the bottom station of the
Leas Cliff Railway (which itself has not run since 6 Nov 2016). The 7½" line twisted out of view west in
the direction of Sandgate. Where it went and for how far always puzzled me - I always insisted that we
visit it. We never rode on it, as I surmise that that was a luxury that the maternal purse was not able to
reach. On a subsequent visit it had gone. It was an early lesson in how transient miniatures can be!

An incredibly clear memory is riding the then 9½" unusual gauge line in Danson Park, Bexleyheath. It
would have been a family visit to my uncle, a career railwayman. Starting on the SE&CR (South Eastern
& Chatham Railway) during WWI as a boy porter at Shepherds Well (sic), he always showed of disdain
when years later I developed a close interest in the adjacent East Kent Light Railway (Shepherdswell).
One could understand his reasoning. His father, my paternal grandfather, joined the London, Chatham
& Dover Railway (LC&DR) in 1898 and was the foreman ganger platelayer at Kearsney station, the first
one out of Dover on the Victoria line. Sadly, I never knew him as he died years before my birth but my
grandmother still lived adjacent to the line in Temple Ewell, on the Up side of Kearsney. Close by her
cottage was a narrow, non-vehicular overbridge spanning a very deep chalk cutting. The deck of the
bridge was wooden planks with small gaps between them and the sheer commotion and roaring
exhaust of an elderly Edwardian 4-4-0 barking away up gradient from a station stop at Kearsney was
pretty terrifying for a four year old. Nevertheless, I could not keep away from the spectacle.

Up until senior school age my interest in railways was probably no greater than that of most healthy
boys of the time. Dover lies in a long, narrow, steep sided valley that runs inland from the coast and
the location of the family home certainly encouraged me to take at least a passing interest in the
railway. Our house was situated inside the horseshoe curve that is formed by the LC&DR Victoria
mainline on the southwest side of the valley and the divergence at Buckland Jn of the LC&DR and
South Eastern Railway joint line (the Dover & Deal Railway - their only joint line before establishment
of the Joint Management Committee) that sharply curves right though the best part of 180 degrees to
run on the northeast side of the valley towards Deal. The full dramatic effect of the curve is rather
diluted as the north side is in a very deep chalk cutting.

The front of our house faced north and the line to Deal was only a couple of hundred yards or so away
but, due to the steeply rising land, was invisible in the cutting. Conversely, my bedroom was on the
top floor at the back of the three storey house and faced south, giving a clear view across the valley of
the main line to Victoria, some quarter of a mile away. Slap bang in the middle of my view was the
large modern gas works that had been developed as a major district facility and had replaced a
number of smaller ones. It had many busy sidings and the clink of shunted buffers could be heard all
day and night. Not only did I have a grandstand view of all the passing trains on both the Victoria and
Ramsgate lines but if I looked to my far right I could see the tall home semaphore that protected
Buckland Jn from the Deal direction, giving me good warning of what was coming from that way.

As I jumped out of bed in the morning and, depending on the time of year and the set of the clocks,
together with its timekeeping due to the state of the sea in the Straits of Dover, I would often catch a
glimpse of the 'Night Ferry' with its blue continental sleepers on the last lap of its journey from Paris
Gare du Nord through to Victoria. I especially remember one Sunday afternoon in the late 1950s
seeing a long train of unfamiliar green coaches heading for the Deal direction. I was puzzled as there
appeared to be no loco. This was my first sighting of the Hastings diesel-electric units and I soon found
out that new units were on occasions making weekend 'running in' turns on Kent coast services.

All of that aside, my home town of Dover was a pretty absorbing place to grow up in for those with a
leaning towards an interest in transport. In addition to the busy railway, ferry and dockside scene
there was the fascinating street tramway along the Seafront to the Eastern Docks. L&SWR 'B4s',
SE&CR 'Ps' (and later Class 04 diesels) slowly plodded along with a flagman in front. As time passed
and road traffic became heavier the track was often obstructed by parked cars. Much whistling up
from the loco and rushing around by the flagman, in an attempt to find the miscreant, ensued.

The diminutive tramway locos were the very opposite of the heavy summer boat train traffic into
Dover Marine (Western Docks from 14 May 1979). However, until domestic services from Victoria
began, much later on, to terminate at the station, it was the preserve of boat train passengers. Locals
could not gain access, or even catch a glimpse of the platforms within the train shed and my one visit
as a boy was as part of an organised Wolf Cubs' conducted tour. Nevertheless, a popular family walk
on a Sunday evening was to see the up 'Golden Arrow' leave in all of its Bulleid Pacific pomp!

Real enthusiasm suddenly sparked in autumn 1958 when I began travelling from Dover Priory behind
LMS Fairburn 2-6-4 tanks to my new senior school at Shorncliffe (Folkestone West from 10 Sep 1962)
station. Apart from the odd diesel shunter, this was still a 100% steam railway and I was hooked ... at
least for the time being. I had arrived at a fast evolving and exciting moment with the Kent Coast
Modernisation Plan unfolding. Soon motive power contrasts were extreme with ancient Victorian
steam power such as Class O1 (sic) 0-6-0s to the latest diesel and electric power in the shape of the
D5000 and D6500 diesels (later Classes 24 and 33) and the E5000 (Class 71) booster electric locos.

Although my main school was adjacent to Shorncliffe station, there was a school annex in central
Folkestone. When there, this meant catching the train at either Folkestone Central or Folkestone
Junction (Folkestone East from 10 Sep 1962 and CP 6 Sep 1965) stations. Interestingly Folkestone East
is still open as a staff 'halt' and the 04.50 SSuX Ramsgate to Charing Cross calls (see Realtime Trains
etc) along with a few ECS workings. Central was nearer but fairly chaotic at the time (1961), as it was
being completely rebuilt and four tracked with modernisation. Ironically, it was reduced to two again in
1999! Those 'in the know' would make the slightly longer walk to 'The Junction'. There was a relaxed
and unrushed feeling to the place. Together with its ancient wooden buildings there was the added
fascination of being able to watch the boat train action on the reversing roads at the top of the incline
from the harbour, as well as the steam shed on the Down side at the Dover end of the platform.

On those schooldays when the afternoon journey home started at Shorncliffe, there was often the
opportunity to reach home a little earlier but run the dangerous risk of attracting the 'swishing of
bamboo to the young male buttocks!' If it was running to time, the Ramsgate via Dover portion of the
inter-regional Birkenhead to Kent express left Shorncliffe at about the same time as the school bell
pealed. Having detached many portions on its way south via Chester, Shrewsbury, Birmingham Snow
Hill, Oxford, Reading, Guildford and Redhill, it frequently ran late. It could be tempting to join the
usually, by now, only two 'foreign' coaches behind an 'H' class 0-4-4T. By arrangement between the
school and the railway this was 'expressly' forbidden, to protect long distance passengers from being
assailed by a stampede of unruly school kids. If the guard caught you and you did not have a note of
permission from the headmaster, you were sure of a painful appointment in his study next morning.

By 1963 the Modernisation Plan was complete and the new services began to run to regular timetable
frequencies. 'The Birk' (as we called it) had been reduced to a summer Saturday only holiday train
from Wolverhampton Low Level via Snow Hill (later High Level via New Street) at the end to/from
Ramsgate via Margate (not passing through Folkestone or even Canterbury by then). In the final year
(1970) it was 07.06 SO summer dated Wolverhampton HL to Ramsgate and 12.20 return. The 1971
timetable showed that the through service had been withdrawn. Interesting anomalies such as that,
and the fact that by 1962 the motive power conversion to nearly 100% EMUs, saw much of the variety
and interest drop out for me. Pop music, motorcycles as well as following politics and cricket filled the
void. Later there were the distractions of mastering a career but my interest didn't dissipate entirely.
In particular, miniatures, the narrow gauge, a modicum of modelling (and later on visits to preserved
lines) were retained. Somehow the draw of the 'big railway' seemed to evade me.

Then I simply wrongly assumed that it had all been modernised and sanitised everywhere else as well.

As an aside, it is sad that the Channel Tunnel in particular brought such a rationalisation of the railways
at Dover which lost their 'soul', so much so that it is hard to assimilate that there is not one point, just
plain line, between Dover Priory and Folkestone East Jn. All the frenetic bustle and activity has gone.

By the mid-1970s I was beginning to take a fresh interest in public transport in the round. A 'bus nut'
of a brother-in-law had got me interested in that field and an Easter 1978 Southern Region 'Pleasure
Seeker' (their version of 'Merrymakers') excursion to West Cornwall changed things forever. We were
in the front coach back from Penzance with 50048 'Dauntless' on the front. The Yanks call it 'stack-
talk', we call it 'thrash'; however you describe it, I really was hooked, there was to be no turning back.

Having discovered the 'Pleasure Seekers' abundant programme of trips, several more followed. A job
that gave me only one weekend off a month hardly helped but I quickly found a strong drive to cover
as many routes and lines as possible. Regretting all the various, by now closed, lines that I had missed
in earlier years, I was also frustrated that I could only book on railtours for the one weekend a month
that I was free. It was more a case of going on the ones available to me rather than the ones that I
really fancied. Sadly, as a case in point, the last runs over Woodhead escaped me for that reason.

Unfortunately it was to be another decade before I realised what the Branch Line Society was about
and what it offered. A chance read of a BLN impressed me, not only with the subject matter, but the
short punchy items and then Editor (for 30 years!) Tony Jervis' store of puns. Happily, that last feature
endures in today's BLN and I still eagerly anticipate that plop through my letterbox 24 times a year!

949] The Angus McDougall Photo Collection: (BLN 1398.838) By 18 Apr our volunteer collator, John
Hampson, had, alphabetically speaking, reached Cambridge! There are 38,356 images in the collection
of which 8,018 have been validated. 2,305 are hidden from public view, mostly because they are just
portraits or duplicates. The descriptions are being compared with the duplicates (which may have file
names and description variations) but sometimes they are not close together, so it can be like playing
'Matching Pairs'. By having just one member (who finds it fascinating and is making good progress)
doing this, he is able to be consistent. John is expanding some abbreviations, numbering and applying
the 'class' to locos and adding infrastructure type as possible. We have now been offered two smaller
collections which may be added later. Any comments to: [email protected]

950] E-BLN extras: (PDFs on our website 'Archive') E-BLN 1397: ֎Fylde Tramway News (29 pages) an
excellent publication with some great pictures that includes their report on our 30 Jan 'Blackpool
Balloon 2' tour by one of our members and pictures of trams in a blizzard. ֎Fylde Tramway Society
Membership Application, subscription from £10 a year for a monthly newsletter and other benefits.
֎Aggregate traffic in the West Midlands by the Railfreight Group. E-BLN 1398: ֎Our 8-10 Apr 2022
Tweedmouth Tractors, Merchant of Teesside and Glengarnock Growler tour itineraries, maps & times.

1399 EAST MIDLANDS (Graeme Jolley) [email protected]
951] Trent South Jn: (TRACKmaps 4 p13A 2018) From Mon 18 Apr Points 719A, 719B & 720 were taken
OOU, clipped & padlocked normal, with normal detection and route bars applied. 722A & B and 723
Points reverse were disabled and route bars applied. Translated into English, it means the 25mph
facing crossovers (119m 24ch) Up Nottingham to Up Slow and Down Slow to Down Nottingham are
both OOU at Trent South Jn. There are equivalent (15mph) crossovers at Ratcliffe Jn (118m 36ch), just
over a mile south before East Midlands Parkway but this reduces capacity and flexibility in the area.

952] Northern cuts: Some late evening Sheffield - Nottingham services are withdrawn from 15 May.

953] Coal: Recently up to six GBRf MGR trains a day, each carrying 1,400 tonnes of coal, have been
running regularly between Immingham and Ratcliffe Power Station SSuX, plus several on Saturdays
and even Sundays, including over Easter! Three wagon sets are in use. On Wed 6 Apr an interloper was
a one off FHH Immingham to Doncaster coal train with 17 HXA wagons. It continued on to Earle's
Sidings (Hope Cement Works), presumably as a trial working. At present the cement works is supplied
weekly (a FO train) from Cwmbargoed Open Cast Disposal Point which is, of course, closing this year.

BELOW: (Item 953) Hope for coal traffic - coal traffic for Hope. The FHH Imm
Brocklesby CP 4 Oct 1993 and the signal box was decommissioned 30 Dec 2015,

mingham to Doncaster and Hope Cement Works special on Wed 6 Apr 2022.
far left is the Up Immingham line, the Cleethorpes line is right. (Gary Crompton.)

...X.96] GBRf 66708 'Glory to Ukraine' in it new special livery on Ratcliffe Power Sta
...to Immingham empty wagons at the end of the four track section between Thorn
…and Kirton Lane Level Crossing on the Scunthorpe line. (Martin Crompton, 13 Apr

ation
ne Jn

2022.)

954] Daventry International
Rail Freight Terminal 3:

(See BLN 1397.711 with plan)

LEFT: With thanks to Martyn
Brailsford, the new double
track branch layout. Compare
with TRACKmaps 4 p4B & C
2018 and note the revised
layout at the new DIRFT 3 as
actually built (BLN 1397.711).

955] Wellingborough and
Kettering: On the 30 Mar
Heritage Blue Plaques were
unveiled at both stations as
NR completed work reducing
the size of the Grade II listed Midlands Railway platform canopies for electrification. Railway Heritage
Trust contributed funding to the £2.5M scheme. NR has carefully restored many original features of
the canopies, including the finials, columns and roofs. The Grade II listed Wellingborough Goods Shed
at has also been renovated, providing an original sheltered walkway for passengers on P1.

956] NET: Nottingham tram ticket prices increased on 28 Mar, single fares by 20p to £2.70 and a day
ticket by 30p to £4.70. The adult weekly went up £1 to £20 and monthly season tickets by £5 to £65

957] Matlock: (BLN 1396.562) On Thur 24 Mar there was another open meeting to discuss the lack of
services to Nottingham. The EMR representatives were honest and came over well. There was
'confidence' about some trains being reinstated by/in Dec and this is seen as a genuine priority. There
has been interest in this issue by passengers from other stations between Derby and Nottingham,
particularly Beeston which had several representatives at the first meeting. Their local (Broxtowe) MP,
Darren Henry, sent a letter to Grant Shapps at the DfT and received a reply from the Rail Minister,
Wendy Morton, in which she said that it is likely the trains will be reinstated later in 2022. SuX there
are 18 trains between Matlock and Derby and 11 on Sundays - the latter run to and from Nottingham!

958] Kidsgrove: (BLN 1338.2605) The new footbridge is in use; the old one has been removed. Grange
Sidings appear disused; presumably the track machine commissioning there has now been completed.

959] Thoresby Colliery Junction Signal Box: (BLN 1390/3078) (TRACKmaps 2 p29A 2020) The box
closed on 3 Apr; associated signalling items have been disconnected or removed and the box deleted
from the Sectional Appendix. This follows the theft of most of the signalling equipment between it and
Clipstone (Jn) box last Oct. As a result, the staff sections at 17m 48ch on the Up and 17m 25ch on the
Down lines have been extended west to 13m 56ch Clipstone Junction (CJ) Signal 236 on the Up and
13m 27ch (CJ Signal 235) on the Down. Road access to the railway at Warsop is now blocked, so the
staff section is from Welbeck Colliery Jn, where the Test Track Technical Officer meets each train, can
access the line safely and deliver/receive the train staff. These temporary arrangements allow trains to
run, but Tuxford Rail Innovation & Development Centre has less than 50 a year, far fewer than were
anticipated. Clipstone (Jn) Signal Box will still be staffed when required for operational reasons.

Thoresby Colliery Junction is a 1926 Great Central Railway box with a 30-lever Westinghouse Frame;
however latterly it was a completely 'pointless' box and 'junction-less', with just the just the Up and
Down Main lines and staff section to Tuxford. Two claims to fame are that in Nov 2016 its Signal T27
was NR's newest semaphore signal and, when it was once planned to control the entire network from
Rail Operating Centres, it would have been the final manual box in operation. The last known train
from Thoresby Colliery (branch now lifted) was on Thur 8 Feb 2018, clearing stored wagons.

If Robin Hood Line passenger trains run between Nottingham, Edwinstowe and Ollerton, the plan is to
make the line into two single tracks - one for the passenger trains, and the other for access to Tuxford.

BELOW: (Item 960) Welbeck Colliery Jn (branch right) looking west towards Shirebrook with intact pointwork,
the trailing crossover and overgrown 'Loco Spur' (right), signal CJ 235 is left. (© Andy Overton, 10 Apr 2022.)

BELOW & TO FOLLOW: (Item 959) Thoresby Colliery Junction Signal Bo

ox 1926-2022 RIP. (All Nick Garnham, from public locations, 10 Apr 2022.)

BELOW: Looking west towards Shirebrook, the leaning signal used to have a su

ubsidiary signal for Thoresby Colliery Jn sidings (taken from a public crossing).

BELOW: Shirebrook is to the left and Tuxford right; the four Colliery s

sidings have been lifted opposite the box, the branch trackbed trails in.

BELOW: Looking east towards Tuxford (and Lincoln!) - there used to

o be used to be four sidings on the left (per TRACKmaps 2 p29A 2020).

BELOW: looking west again towards Shirebrook, the end of the then token section from Tuxford.

960] Welbeck Colliery Jn: (TRACKmaps 2 p29A 2020) BLN 1337.2418 of 5 Oct 2019 reported that NR
was to end the private siding agreement with Harworth Group PLC and permanently abandon the
connection at Welbeck Colliery Jn (13m 17ch), including the trailing crossover, associated signalling
and the branch to the NR boundary at 2m 63ch. On 10 Apr a member visited the junction and found
the pointwork and trailing crossover to be intact (as in 2010); presumably removal is a low priority job.
On 16 Oct 2013 the Loco Spur (line with buffer stops at the Jn) was signed OOU as redundant track.

1399 GREATER LONDON (Geoff Brockett) [email protected]
961] Bank: (BLN 1393.183) On 24 Mar TfL issued an update on the work. The remaining sections of the
new Southbound Northern Line tunnel had been completed, with track laid and connected to
the existing line at each end. The former Southbound platform had been converted to a concourse
and fitting out of the new station areas was continuing. Additional closures for signal integration and
operation of test trains are needed between Euston and Moorgate and between Charing Cross
and Battersea Power Station/Stockwell on 15, 16 & 23 Apr and 14 & 15 May. Other key activities in
the second part of the closure are installation and testing of station systems and staff familiarisation.
The new route is due to open on 16 May, with a new interchange between the Central and Northern
Lines and a new Cannon St entrance later this year. https://bit.ly/3uFJHhw has details and photos.

962] Barking Riverside: (BLN 1398.846) The OHLE on the branch was energised from Sun 10 Apr.

963] LUL Sub-Surface Lines resignalling: (BLN 1388.2835) Communication Based Train Control (CBTC)
Stage 5 was commissioned over the weekend of 26-27 Mar, covering Sloane Square/Paddington
(Circle Line) to Fulham Broadway/Kensington (Olympia)/Barons Court. To set up the signalling
boundaries, until 11.00 on 26th the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan Lines were
partly suspended. From that time and throughout 27th, they were scheduled to run ECS through the
area being resignalled but the conversion went well and passengers were carried from 09.00 on 27th.

Signalling control transferred from Earl's Court Signal Control Centre to Hammersmith Service Control
Centre; the former now only controls the Parsons Green area. Lillie Bridge depot was redesignated as
sidings, with train movements controlled from Hammersmith, rather than by Ground Shunters.
The track diagrams on internal documents show the line from Roads 1-8 as the Electric Road and the
one from Roads 9-13 as the Steam Road! TRACKmaps Vol 5 p44A 2019 is out of date in showing the
depot as a Transplant Battery Loco Shed, as it now stables 'S' Stock. The siding alongside the Olympia
branch, known as Whiteley's Siding for at least the past 50 years, is electrified. New moves possible:

●Trains from Earl's Court P4 to the Wimbledon branch can also cross over to the
…Main Line then back to the branch. Surprisingly, this allows faster reoccupation of P4.
●Various additional moves for trains arriving and departing from Triangle Sidings.
●Selective door opening allows trains reversing Westbound to Eastbound via West Kensington
…crossover to enter service here instead of running empty to Earl's Court. Trains will also be able to
…run into the Westbound platform at low speed while another train is signalled over the crossover.
●Trains can now reverse in Gloucester Road, run wrong line in service all the way to High Street
…Kensington P2 and take No13 crossover which is just south of the station.
…The trailing crossover at Gloucester Road itself has always been available for reversing back there.

Earl's Court heritage 'light box' train indicators, part of the station's listing, are temporarily OOU but
will be connected to the new signalling. The next resignalling stage is Stepney Green to Becontree.

964] Clapham Junction: Wetherspoons 'The London & South Western' pub near the station has plenty
of memorabilia inside and out, including three small scale models of L&SWR tender loco '415' outside.

965] Crossrail: (BLN 1398.850) The Easter weekend District Line Tower Hill to West Ham closure along
with the entire Hammersmith & City line was for removal of the temporary ticket hall at Whitechapel.

966] HS2: (BLN 1398.851) The ancillary shaft at the Victoria Road site in Acton, for ventilation and
emergency access to the Northolt Tunnels, has been completed. The two Tunnel Boring Machines for
the eastern sections of the Northolt tunnels will arrive at the site for assembling early next year.

967] Heathrow T5 Transit (Pods): (BLN 1394.301) TCP 00.30 Mon 22 Nov 2021; ROP 04.30 Thur 7 Apr.

968] City Thameslink panned: At 16.19 on 4 Apr an ECS Thameslink unit exited Smithfield Sidings.
The driver then raised the pantograph and continued southward; when the train ran off the OHLE this
caused the power to trip. The EMU was eventually moved forward to allow trains trapped behind to
detrain at City Thameslink. However, it was not possible to implement Single Line Working between
City Thameslink and Blackfriars due to damaged points and the service remained suspended between
Blackfriars and St Pancras for the rest of the day, with much disruption over the Thameslink network.

969] East Coast Main Line: The relay interlockings at Wood Green and New Barnet are life expired and
will be replaced with Westlock Computer Based Interlockings at York ROC. These will be compatible
with future conversion to ETCS (European Train Control System) signalling.

970] Lea Valley: (BLN 1344.234) Meridian Water is served by the 2tph shuttle to Stratford and a few
calls by other trains, mostly in the peaks. A scheme has been approved to increase capacity on the
Cambridge Lines, so that the station can be served by 4tph in the peaks. This will be by converting the
Up platform at Ponders End to a bidirectional loop and building a new Up Cambridge Line on the east
side of the station on the site of the old Goods Lines. The £9.3M cost will be met from the Housing
Infrastructure Fund and the terms of the funding require the upgrade to be completed by Mar 2024.
Other funding is available for a subsequent scheme to reinstate the fourth track between Meridian
Water and Tottenham Hale, for the former to be served by 8tph in the peaks. ('Ian Visits' website.)

971] London Trams (Croydon): (BLN 1396.564) ●The ORR is prosecuting TfL, Tram Operations Ltd (the
tram operating company) and the driver following the fatal 9 Nov 2016 Sandilands derailment. TfL and
Tram Operations Ltd are alleged to have failed to ensure the health and safety of passengers on the
network, so far as reasonably practicable. Driver Alfred Dorris is accused of an alleged failure as an
employee to take reasonable care of passengers while employed at work driving the tram. A hearing
will take place at Croydon Magistrates' Court, on a date to be set. ●Services were suspended between
Wimbledon and Therapia Lane from Mon 4 for track relaying and resumed on Thur 14 Apr.

972] Metropolitan Line: On 11 Apr an emergency timetable (not in Journey Planner) was introduced
due to wheel faults found on a number of S8 Stock trains. The service operated (weekdays) is:

2tph Amersham to Baker Street and Chesham to Baker Street, both fast between Moor Park and
Harrow-on-the-Hill. 4tph Watford to Baker Street. 4tph Uxbridge to Aldgate - the only ones
between Baker Street P2 and P3 and Baker Street Jn. It also halves the Uxbridge branch Metropolitan
service and at intermediate stations between Moor Park and Harrow-on-the-Hill and substantially
reduced the 12tph between Baker Street and Aldgate. The same service is likely to operate all day,
every day, so there are greater peak reductions. The London transport correspondent of the BBC has
tweeted: Update on Met line disruption and wheels - engineering sources tell me it may have been a
wrong calibration on lathes by manufacturer that made wheels too small to run. Many wheels will
have to be swapped taking months. Investigation underway. Over the Easter weekend there was a
special service on Good Friday then the Working Timtable with cancellations on the Saturday and
Sunday. 35 trains are needed for the off-peak and weekend service and on 13 Apr 'District Dave' said
they only have 31 good ones, although they may have repaired some more.

973] Northern City Line: (BLN 1386.2593) The new ETCS (European Train Control System) in-cab
signalling between Finsbury Park and Moorgate was tested on 9-10 Apr. It is due to be commissioned
over 30 Apr-2 May. This is the first stage of the conversion of the southern end of the ECML to ETCS.

974] Romford - Upminster: (BLN 1398.854) Another use of the Romford connection was on the final
day of DMU operation, Wed 16 Apr 1986. The driver of the last train allowed passengers to stay on
from bay P1 back to the mainline connection, where the unit reversed then took them to Up Main P2.

975] Victoria Area Resignalling: (BLN 1380.1798) From 11 Apr a new trailing crossover, clipped and
padlocked OOU, between the Up and Down Brighton Slow Lines at 2m 40ch was installed. It will be
commissioned over Christmas and New Year as part of Stage 3 of the scheme. The Easter closure
between East Croydon and Victoria was to allow three crossovers east of Clapham Junction station to
be renewed. The contract for the final phase of the resignalling (Stage 5), between the Battersea
area and Sydenham Hill/Elephant & Castle/Ravensbourne, has been awarded to Alstom.

976] Millennium Inclinator: (BLNs 1054.MR202 & 1386.2597) This opened in Dec 2003 to provide step
free access between the Thames Millennium Bridge and the riverside walkway. It is 26.85m long and
rises at 13.6o. The small car can take up to four passengers. It is not a true funicular, because there is a
single car acting against a balance weight. Nor is it a lift, because it rises at an angle and is not in a
shaft. The inclinator was supplied by Italian company Maspero Elevatori but proved unreliable. It was
re-equipped in 2012 by Hütter Aufzüge, a German company but continued to give problems and is
now permanently OOU. An unusual feature was that its control system was interlocked with that of
the window cleaning cradle (did you do it?) on the immediately adjacent building, to avoid collisions!

Kone took over the maintenance contract about two years ago and recommended that it be roofed
over to improve reliability. However, City of London had no interest in spending ever more money as it
is to be replaced by a vertical lift with refurbishment of Millennium Bridge House. If you haven't done
it, you might be inclined to agree with our esteemed Minor Railways Editor that it is not a railway.
If you can slope off to Greenford, the inclinator (OP 20 Oct 2015), inside the gateline, is worth doing.

977] Night Tube: (BLN 1388.2834) A Jubilee Line service is due to resume on the night of Sat 21 May,
with a trial ECS service the previous night. Services on the Northern and Piccadilly Line will resume
later in the year. The strike action by RMT train operators continues, with no sign of a settlement.
It has little effect on the Victoria Line but the Central Line is badly affected.

1399 NORTHE EAST & YORKSHIRE (Geoff Blyth) [email protected]
978] North Shields: ①Demolition of the former Co-op store on Bedford Street is underway. The site
will be used for a new transport hub, bringing all bus services in the town closer to the Metro station
and taxis, and with links to cycling infrastructure. ②From 16-19 Jul (incl) there will be a 14-day Metro
closure to replace Tanners Bank bridge between North Shields and Tynemouth. The present bridge
dates from 1863. The new £3M bridge will increase the clearance under the bridge by 1.5m for double
decker buses and HGVs to access the North Shields Fish Quay. The old bridge will be donated to 'a
museum'. According to well known experts, North Tyneside Council, on their website, the line opened
in 1839 and is said to have been the world's first commuter line. Newcastle Carliol Square to North
Shields OA 22 Jun 1839, but the extension to Tynemouth (including this bridge) OA 31 Mar 1847.
As for the claim about the world's first commuter line, this may ignite some debate in BLN!! A former
Chairman suggests that the first recorded use of the word 'commuter' was, arguably, not until 1859.

979] A Hull of a place to visit: Hull Trains is offering a new cheap Hull Leisure Return ticket, on any of
their trains to Hull (and back!) from Doncaster (£10), Selby (£8), Howden (£6) or Brough (£4); children
are half fare but there are no Railcard discounts. Passengers can return any time within 28 days.

980] Sunderland: (BLN 1398.861) The steel slab train from Scunthorpe to Corporation Quay (04.43
Tees Yard - Londonderry Sidings 06.25 and 11.10 return) ran on 6 Apr, arriving back 50 min early.
On 8 Apr it would have been back at Tees Yard when our 'Tweedmouth Tractors' tour was still at Forth
Banks but was cancelled because of an issue with the steel. Perhaps as well as, on 11 Apr, although it
arrived 40 min early at Londonderry Sidings, it left 77 late. It was delayed at Londonderry; the port
itself has despatched every train early, even if they arrived late. On 13 & 15 Apr it was booked to run
as 01.22 Scunthorpe BSC Entrance 'C' to Londonderry Sidings (06.07), returning 12.30 to Tees Yard.

There are to be trials with longer trains of up to 44 wagons, as there will be a requirement for up to
25,000 tonnes of steel a month into the port. In the Down direction these trains can be recessed at
Cliffe House Down Loop but, as the Up Loop is still not connected at the south end, these longer trains
cannot run at present as there is nowhere to recess them. Sunderland South Dock, Corporation Quay
Road 6 will be brought into use for the longer trains, with initially six wagons unloading there and then
up to 10. In the longer term it is planned to extend the concrete loading pad towards Road 6.

981] Milford Jn - Gascoigne Wood Jn PSUL: (BLN 1391.3223) There was a schedule for a 21.27 SuO
Manchester Piccadilly to Hull via this route from 20 Feb, reinstating a service over this curve, but it
never actually ran and the schedule has now been withdrawn. However, from 15 May there is a TPE
21.30 SuX; 21.27 SuO Manchester Piccadilly to Hull and 04.46 SO Hull to Manchester Piccadilly (from
21 May). This presumably depends on the TPE weekend industrial action being resolved by then.

982] More or Less: (BLN 1398.858) The following is from a Northern circular to its stakeholders.

Route Current Timetable May 2022 Timetable
Bishop Auckland Bishop Auckland - Saltburn hourly Darlington - Saltburn turns
Darlington - Saltburn two hourly increased to hourly again
- Saltburn
hourly first and last Middlesbrough to
Middlesbrough Whitby round trips removed
- Nunthorpe 6 trains per day (reduced to four trains per day)
in each direction
Middlesbrough - but all increased to 4-cars
Whitby 14 passenger trains
withdrawn in total Ilkley - Leeds 2tph
Ilkley - Leeds throughout the day Bradford - Ilkley 2tph cut to 1tph
Ilkley - Bradford from the Dec 2021 07.56 Ilkley - Leeds / 08.33 return
Forster Square
timetable cut
Skipton - Leeds Skipton - Leeds 2tph
Skipton - Bradford FS 2tph (enhancement following Bradford - Skipton 2tph to 1tph
Knaresborough to York upgrade.)
Leeds - Bradford 2tph (two trains per hour)
Forster Square Service reduced to mix of
York - Harrogate hourly and two hourly three round trips withdrawn
withdrawn off peak and last Harrogate to Leeds
and Leeds
Hull - Leeds no trains; replacement further reduced to 2-hourly
bus service operating
- Halifax hourly (possibly for summer only)
Bridlington - Hull local hourly
no trains; replacement
Huddersfield - one train (SuO) per week plus bus service still operating
Wakefield Moorthorpe to York buses
- Castleford three off peak trains withdrawn
each way, leaving three 2-hour gaps
Leeds - Sheffield via
the Dearne Valley. no change (used to be 6 trains per
day each way seven days a week)
Sheffield -
Pontefract Baghill

- York

Those who remember the British Rail cuts (due to government subsidy cuts and lack of investment)
will have a sense of déjà vu. The Harrogate Line Supporters Group has strongly protested to Northern
about the loss of three 'vital' services in its new May timetable, the 06.07 & 06.33 Harrogate to Leeds,
and the 22.39 Leeds to Harrogate. The earliest arrival at most onward destinations will be an hour or
so later (eg London from 08.59 to 10.00), reducing the likelihood of people using the train for long
distance journeys. The first service from Harrogate at 06.56 is then followed by four more in 49 mins,
including an LNER service. Reinstating the 06.07 and 06.33, and taking out the 06.56 and 07.14, would
give a much more even spread and a better service overall. There is also a 2-hour gap each way in the
evening service - this is what happens when you start hacking service and a spiral of decline follows.
Pre-Covid, Scunthorpe had two trains an hour to Doncaster; now it's mostly one TPE every two hours.

There has been particular media criticism of the Harrogate line and Bradford Forster Square to Ilkley/
Skipton cuts, also withdrawal of the 08.16 SuX Sheffield to Leeds via Moorthorpe. Excuses used by
Northern include 'service better aligned to developing demand' and availability of resources with no
mention of service withdrawals to save money. British Rail once ran eight Whitby services each way.
A member reports that some Northern depots currently have 'no vacancies for conductor posts' - but
drivers may be the limiting factors, particularly as ASLEF has instructed members not to work rest days.

983] Tyne Dock: (BLN 1380.1801 photos) The building with the signalling and conveyor control panel is
about to be demolished for redevelopment of that area. The panel signalled the railway in National
Coal Board days and has been offered free of charge to any person or organisation that will save it for
posterity. A local member hopes it will go to a heritage organisation and believes it is the last of this
type in existence in this country - and indeed that this is also the case for the coal handling equipment.

984] Steeton & Silsden: This station, betwixt Keighley and Skipton, CP 20 Mar 1965; ROP 14 May 1990
on a slightly different site. It is the first station in the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive
subsidised ticketing region, so has problems with parking as people from outside the region drive in
from North Yorkshire and Lancashire to take advantage of the cheaper fares. The Metro area was
extended to Skipton on 17 May 2009 but this did not solve the problem. West Yorks planned to build a
new multistorey car park by the end of 2020 but this was delayed. Work was due to start early this
month. It will cost £4.63M and provide an extra 102 spaces, taking the total to 245. Parking will be
free to rail users - if only that applied throughout the country! There will be a fully accessible lift and
nine Blue Badge bays. Ironically Northern is reducing the train service in May when Bradford FS to
Skipton is cut from half-hourly to hourly. Passenger numbers peaked in 2016-17 at 852,000. On 13 Apr
car parks between Skipton and Leeds were well filled, including Kirkstall Forge (the one nearest Leeds).

985] Hull: Paragon station was closed over Easter (16-18 Apr) to relay track in P2, 3, 4 & 5 and replace
the buffer stops with new sliding (energy absorbing) versions, reducing the available platform lengths.
Hull Trains turned back at Brough, an ECS shunt, also requiring ECS moves from/to Bounds Green
depot. TPE reached Selby but their trains only ran on the Monday due to strike action. LNER ran to
Doncaster and Northern turned back at Goole, Selby and Beverley, in all cases with buses for Hull.

20 engineering trains were booked (10 each way) over the three days, which had to stand on the
Anlaby Road Jn - West Parade Jn curve (a former PSUL), as well as on the Scarborough and Leeds
lines. Thus the curve was not used for passenger diversions. There was apparently a requirement to
keep the route clear between Hessle Road South Jn and Hull Docks (so it was not used to stable
engineering trains), for Drax biomass trains, but none ran in fact. The Beverley to Scarborough service
was cut off from Hull Botanic Gardens depot, so the DMUs went in rotation as 15.46 ECS Scarborough
to York Siemens and 17.50 return for fuel rather than starting/ending at Neville Hill depot. Botanic
Gardens crews were taxied to Beverley, so were probably only able to make just one Beverley to
Scarborough return journey in a shift rather than the usual two Hull to Scarborough return trips.

986] Hartlepool: ❶£12M has been allocated to reopen the Up platform (only used sporadically after
1979 and not since the early 1990s). This includes a footbridge with lifts; it is thought that the old
footbridge was removed in the late 1990s. The station was refurbished at a cost of £4M for the 2010
Tall Ships Race. In 2020 the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) committed £1.5M for a business
case and detailed design work. It was thought (BLN 1389.2982) the work would cost about £20M, so it
is unclear if that was an overestimate or if more money needs to be found. Work is due to start this
year, with the platform complete for the Tall Ships Race in Jul 2023 (a tall order?). Do not believe the
hype about it being our busiest single through platform, firstly of course, it has a bay (with no booked
use) but the single platform station at Ware on the Hertford East branch has 4tph seven days a week;
and had 1.047M passengers in 2019-20 (0.234M in 2020-21); Hartlepool 0.629M/0.169M respectively.

❷Due to a track circuit showing 'occupied' on 6 Apr, when the line was clear, the facing crossover at
the north end of Hartlepool station was locked in the 'Normal' position. Up services could not call, the
06.43 Sunderland to King's Cross and 06.09 Hexham to Saltburn took the Up Sunderland line.

❸(BLN 1398.865) As notified in advance to participants, the lengthy Up Cliff House Loop was omitted
from our 'Tweedmouth Tractors' tour, as the new points at the south end had not been installed. Local
staff assure your NE Editor that the work is due to take place in the next few weeks (reports please)!

987] TVCA: £310M will be available from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS)
programme over the next five years: £60.3M in 2022-23; £62.4M each year 2023-26 and £62.4M in
2026-27. It covers rail, the Highways Maintenance Block, the 'Potholes Fund' and Integrated Transport,
including bus and cycling schemes. The schemes below marked * are retained by the DfT and need to
have a business case provided (cue DfT delaying/money saving tactics). The rail investments included:

Station improvements (£86.5M from TVCA): Middlesbrough* (BLN 1395.450 plan) further discussion
is needed to clarify the benefits and funding package for the remaining phases (presumably new P3?).
Hartlepool* Up platform (see above). Billingham (BLN 1386.2613). Eaglescliffe (BLN 1397.741).

'Teesworks Stations' - South Bank and British Steel Redcar will be enhanced (a train might even
stop at the latter), and the transport links to access them, as the area is now being redeveloped.

In the settlement outside the £86.5M grant: Darlington Station* (BLN 1397.736) Northallerton -
Eaglescliffe gauge clearance* (BLN 1395.453) both need to ensure integration with national networks.
Tees Valley Multi-Modal Hydrogen Transport Hub Masterplan* (BLN 1337.1239) - early trials.
As well as these, a TVCA press release also included the following without any details: Redcar station
enhancements, line speed improvements (some lines are painfully slow) and capacity improvements.

988] West Yorkshire Combined Authority: There will be £830M from the City Region Sustainable
Transport Settlement (CRSTS) over the next five years (£161.3M in 2022-23 then £167.2M per year).
Your NE Editor has been able to find far less detail than for Tees Valley. Does anyone know more,
please? Leeds - P13 & 17 bay extensions: Need to ensure that the scheme remains strategically
aligned with other projects in the Leeds Area Improvement Programme. West Yorkshire Rail
Accessibility Package: Further discussion is needed to clarify the transport benefits of the scheme.
The Mass Transit Programme: (value over £50M and may not involve any rails) will be retained by
the DfT and will need a scheme business case. Further schemes may be added to those retained.

989] The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA): £570M is available from the CRSTS
over the next five years: £110.8M in 2022-23 then £114.8M each year. Again, there seems to be less
detail than for Tees Valley. Does anyone know more, please? SYMCA is not required to seek assurance
from the DfT for most of the transport investments, subject to their agreed Assurance Framework.

However, there are some schemes where the DfT believes there is a need for clarification, assurances,
or DfT approval. Pending the outcome of discussions, the DfT may not fund some/all of these schemes:

Gateway East: (Doncaster Sheffield Airport) The previous scheme was rejected (BLN 1364.3169).
Further discussion is required to understand the scope of the revised scheme and its interaction with
national network plans and the Integrated Rail Plan. [A halt on the Doncaster to Gainsborough line??]
Rotherham (new) Main Line station tram train element: Further discussion required due to
dependencies on the outcome of the post Integrated Rail Plan Leeds Area Study. [Playing for time?]
Conisbrough station Park & Ride: Transport benefits need clarifying.

The following two schemes will be retained by the DfT and will need a scheme business case.
Schemes may be added to this list, pending the outcome of discussions on the schemes above:
Mass Transit Phase 1 & 2: Scheme value over £50M.
Railway reinstatement North Barnsley to Wakefield via Royston Phase 1: Delivery spend beyond
2026/27; there is a need to ensure integration with national networks.

Barnsley station platform proposed extensions: There are currently no plans to provide longer
trains or through trains to London calling here, so there is no justification for this at present.

Waverley station (Orgreave site) is included in the CRSTS programme and Restoring Your Railway
fund! SYMCA must work with the DfT to determine which is the more appropriate. [Take a 50:50?]

990] Bridlington: (E-BLN 1398.X.89) A member confirms that the North Eastern Railway tile map
photographed by the late John Robinson on 3 Sep 1977 was definitely the Bridlington one. It was on
the former west side of the station (P1, 2 & 3, demolished in 1987), to its right was a ladies toilet.

991] Middlesbrough: Phase 1 of the £34M station redevelopment, the 75m extension of P2, was
completed in Dec. Phase 2 of work on the Grade II listed building will start in weeks, renovating the
long disused undercroft and installing a new steel frame to support the structures above. A new street
level entrance and ticket hall will be built. Work includes removal of the ticket hall stairs, two new
staircases off the central thoroughfare, an open public space at the east end of the former car park
and a new walkway between Zetland Road, on the south side of the station, and the existing subway.

On 2 Mar most of the remaining passengers (about 12) on the 08.59 to Nunthorpe alighted at James
Cook station - they looked like hospital workers. About six joined the 09.16 return from Nunthorpe,
also at Gypsy Lane and Marton, but none joined or left at James Cook. Passenger figures 2019-20/
2020-21: Nunthorpe 44.6k/7.6k; Gypsy Lane 37.0k/7.0k; Marton 25.8k/5.3k; James Cook 40.2k/9.3k.

992] Liberty Steel: (BLN 1397.730) Although the winding up order was withdrawn, at first the
company was only accepting orders up to Easter. Dalzell and Clydebridge steel plants in Scotland are
also Liberty plants, of course - the former is rail served from Tees Yard. 'The Guardian' reports that
Liberty Steel has announced plans to cut 160 jobs at Stocksbridge, at the end of the 9-mile long
branch from Woodburn Jn, to move production to Rotherham. This could create a 'potential' 160 new
jobs there. The effect on rail traffic at Stocksbridge (which has only been very occasional so far this
year) is unknown. The company will also cut 45 jobs at its non rail-connected West Bromwich plant.

993] Hawes - Garsdale: (BLN 1357.2156) The Upper Wensleydale Railway Association has twice failed
to obtain government funding towards reinstating this line, even though it had the necessary
sponsorship from the local MP - a certain Mr Rishi Sunak. The Local Plan supports reinstatement of the
railway and a parallel recreational path. However, a feasibility study carried out for the National Park
and Richmondshire Council (a District Council in North Yorkshire, not a county) concluded there is
room only for a railway or a 'multiuser route', but not both - the original railway was single track.
Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority has therefore concluded that reinstatement of the railway is
'very unlikely' and will recommend that members support the principle of creating a bridleway,
suitable for non-iron horses, cyclists, walkers and those with limited mobility, along the trackbed.
Your NE Editor now has to accept that he will never fill this six mile gap in his coverage (by train)!

1399 NORTH WEST (John Cameron) [email protected]
994] Ordsall Chord: It is believed that the Railway Touring Company's 26 Mar 'The Mancunian' tour,
hauled by 46233 'Duchess of Sutherland' was the first steam train to traverse Ordsall Chord. The
morning run, 06.37 ex-Euston, terminated in Manchester Piccadilly P13 so that it could run ECS via
the chord to the East Lancashire Railway for servicing. The return started from Manchester Victoria
(16.02), ran via the chord and through Piccadilly P13 without calling to avoid a prolonged stop there.

995] I Was a Signalman Part 14, Brewery Sidings: (BLN 1398.888) By Dave Leeming. Around 'Brewery
Curve' from Philips Park No1 was Brewery Sidings Signal Box; the sidings were a marshalling yard until
the late 1970s/early 1980s. There were breweries on both sides of the line and, in the past, numerous
associated sidings - hence the box name. These had all gone when I appeared on the scene. I guess
that the number of trains dealt with at Brewery would have been about the same as before the
sidings closed. This was partly because of the rundown and closure of Cheetham Hill loop line and Red
Bank Sidings. DMUs that had previously stabled there then stabled at Newton Heath and they ran
past Brewery. But the physical work and the hassle of the old days was much less than it had been.

The signal box was on the south side of the line. Back in the day, the Up and Down Main Lines were on
the south side of the formation, next to the box. Then it was the Up Goods, Down Goods No1 and
Down Goods No2 lines to the north side. Points and crossings operated from Brewery accessed the
Miles Platting Connecting Goods Line - locally known as 'Brewery Curve' - 'Up' to Brewery Sidings.
The Goods Lines passed behind Miles Platting station on the Rochdale side; periodic alterations had
been made to them. The Main Lines were Absolute Block signalled and the Goods Permissive Block.

Much of the layout was modified in the 1980s and a lot went (see Quail 4 Oct 1990 p47A, first edition).
When I worked there, the Up Main still ran next to the box, but the Down Main had been moved over
to where the Up Goods had run with a slew as 'Brewery Curve' came in from Park 1. The Up Goods ran
between the Up and Down Main lines and traffic along the Up Goods had to join the Up Main before it
could be sent to Miles Platting or round the bend. The Down Goods still ran on the north side, pretty
much on the line of the Up Goods No2 from Miles Platting where it emerged from behind the box (and
behind Miles Platting P4 - towards Rochdale - as the Down West Goods there). At Brewery a facing
connection from the Down Main allowed trains from Brewery Curve to reach the Down Goods.

After my time there, the box was abolished from 15 Sep 1998, along with every other one between
Ordsall Lane and Newton Heath when the area was transferred to the new Manchester North signal
box (BLN 1394.334) built in 1997. Signalling was replaced with new colour light signals plated for 'MN'.
Manchester North box was at Salford Crescent (in the brick building opposite the platforms on the Up
side) but in Apr 2015 control was transferred to Manchester Rail Operating Centre (at Ashburys).

BELOW: The extension is a toilet accessed from inside the box, an unusual luxu

ury in 1989 and flushing even, but probably only recently as the pipes look new!

Brewery Sidings steps rose up behind the box from the Miles Platting end a
BELOW: Before rationalisation, but after the sidings were lifted, the next box on

against the back. (All pictures are by Dave Leeming in 1989 unless specified.)
n Brewery Curve is shown as Ashton Branch Sidings. (Commons.wikimedia.org.)

BELOW: Dave's own pict

ture of this same diagram.

BELOW: Brewery Sidings signal box diagram showing the layout as in

n 1989. Brewery Curve was then worked to Philips Park No1 signal box.

BELOW: Passing the box on 14 Nov 1987 heading onwards Rochdale by w

which time the Up Goods started here (ahead), as seen. (Angus McDougall.)

Inside the box in 1989. ABOVE: Looking west (to Miles Platting). BELOW: Looking east (to Thorpes Bridge Jn).

ABOVE: You've been framed; the L&Y 30-lever frame made in Horwich. BELOW: Marmalade the signal

box 'fe-line' in 1993 who didn't need a home signal. PREVIOUS PAGE (TOP): looking west, the block
instruments are: Furthest away Miles Platting Main Lines, then Philips Park No1 and Thorpes Bridge

Mains. The Block Switch (for switching out) is beyond the Miles Platting block. The nearer two block
instruments: The further one is the one-direction block for the Down Goods Line from Miles Platting.

The nearer one is the two-direction block for the Up Goods and the Down Goods from Thorpes Bridge.

The layout was altered again around that time and the access to the Up Brewery (from Thorpes
Bridge) became a straight run along what had been the Up Main. There is a facing connection from
this line towards Miles Platting. The line from 'Brewery Curve' joins the Down Main and the facing
connection (above) remains to reach the shortened Down Goods. The line behind Miles Platting
Station Junction box and former P4 was removed west of the connection at Brewery. The line names
have been changed as well. The Up Main became the Up Passenger Loop. The Up Goods is the Up
Rochdale. The Down Main is the Down Rochdale and what is left of the Down Goods is now the Down
Passenger Loop. Brewery Curve (still 'Up' towards Brewery Jn) has been renamed the 'Up Brewery'
and the 'Down Brewery' - thus formalising the nickname that this link has had for many years.

At the time of this story (1989-90), almost all traffic on my patch was through and nothing terminated
except for the daily stone trains from Derbyshire which went into the sidings on what was left of the
Up Oldham Road branch at Collyhurst Street; a rounding loop and headshunt for Miles Platting Tilcon,
where there were hopper drops on the dead end sidings. Those trains did not affect Brewery, of
course. Passenger service at the time provided some variety. Those passing Brewery to Rochdale via
Moston and on to Leeds were mostly a mundane diet of Class 142, 150, 156 & 158 DMUs. There were
still a few Class 108 and 101 DMU workings. Most were confined to services out of Longsight but they
did occasionally find their way to Newton Heath and then on to local services. Oldham Loop trains via
Failsworth were often worked by Class 31/4s (and the occasional Class 47 in the mix!) with three or
four MkII Coaches, many cascaded from other parts of the country. They would go all the way round
the Oldham Loop and re-engine at Victoria. This was as an operating convenience as they ran through
from Blackpool but most Oldham Loop trains were DMUs. (Gravity shunting, a feature of these trains
in steam days at Victoria had long been discontinued!) Freight went towards Yorkshire via Rochdale
and Summit Tunnel. ECS plied between Newton Heath and Victoria and to/from 'Brewery Curve'.

It was at Brewery Sidings where one could really begin to appreciate how busy a single manned box
could be. Freight trains had greatly reduced but, to compensate for that, there was more passenger
traffic, some previously via Cheetham Hill, but which now came past Brewery instead. [Manchester
Victoria East Jn - Cheetham Hill Jn - Smedley Viaduct - Thorpes Bridge Jn CA 15 Sep 1998; Most of
Smedley Viaduct to Thorpes Bridge Jn section of that line is now part of Metrolink OP 28 Feb 2013.]
Of course, passenger and ECS needed no shunting and so the physical work was a long way from how
it had been back in the day when there was much freight to and from the sidings.

The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway (L&Y) line over the Pennines had a box every few hundred yards in
parts to cope with the sheer number of trains. They had more boxes per mile than any other railway in
the country. (Yes, really!) The Block Section through Summit Tunnels (1 mile 1,125yd), the longest on
the L&Y between Sowerby Bridge and Victoria, effectively governed the capacity of the route.

Working could often be 'block to block', trains following each other as closely as it was possible to and
every block section would have a train in it, just entering, or just leaving. This could go on for twenty
four hours a day and a signalman needing a 'number two' could bring the job to a stand. (Control: Why
did you delay xyz? Signalman: I couldn't hang on any longer!) Food was eaten 'on the hoof'.

The Rules & Regulations stated that any signalman leaving his box was to inform the signalman both
sides and they were to record the time of his leaving and returning. He was supposed to have a clear
'block' before he went. This would mean him refusing trains while he answered his 'call of nature'.
When he returned, he may well have caused quite a queue of traffic which could have built up for
miles in both directions! In reality, he would inform the signalman on either side of what he was going
to do and let the trains run that he had just accepted, passed on, and pulled off for to run in his brief
absence then square the book up later. Most boxes had some form of toilet. Sometimes they were
next to the stairs - sometimes at the top of the stairs - a rare luxury. They might even be attached to
the rear or the side of the building with an internal door. It was more likely that it would be a bucket
chemical loo at the bottom of the steps or a walk of several hundred yards. Some had just a hole in the
embankment. They were universally freezing cold in the winter and there must be some tales to be
told, especially in the dead of some of the winters we have had (1947 and 1963 spring to mind!).

Flush Loo? In your dreams! Many boxes did not have running water, or even electric lights.

Remember however, that this was in the days of the privvy in the end of the back yard at home. Back
in the 1950s, I knew people who lived in Rotherham and their loo was a communal building at the end
of the back entry. So the arrangements I have described were not then as primitive to the ordinary
person at the time as they might seem at first glance nowadays!

The distances between Collyhurst Street, Miles Platting, Brewery Sidings and Thorpes Bridge boxes
were short. It was time-consuming to put a train 'inside' (that is in the goods lines) so the best option
was to let it 'run'. This meant that, at Brewery, there was very little need to regulate any of the traffic,
even coming off the branch. It came, it passed and it went. The work in the box was pretty relentless.
Brewery was not a complicated box to work in 1990 but must have been a nightmare in earlier times.

Regulation 1e applied in both directions on the Up and Down Main lines. [When a train is accepted
from the signal box in the rear, it should be offered to the signal box in advance without waiting for
'train on line'; as long as the advance section is clear, of course!] Brewery Sidings had a pukka 54-lever
L&Y Frame. Made at Horwich! However, the block Instruments had been replaced with plastic.

Signalling on the Up consisted of a colour light with a position 'one' feather for the branch. The Down
signalling was a Main Line semaphore and another semaphore on the branch. There was a Down outer
distant (No1) and a Down inner distant (No2) - both with yellow levers. However, they were frequently
not used, even if the density of traffic would have given any chance of pulling them. There was such a
complex of wires and pulleys attached to these signals that there was a good possibility of them failing
to go back in the frame fully. One would have been decidedly unpopular if that had happened because
the signal repeaters both had to be 'on' before a 'line clear' could be given. It would have caused a
'block failure' and for no reason that the Miles Platting signalman would have wanted to listen to!

Thorpes Bridge signal box Down distant, under the Brewery Down home signal, was an automatic
motor worked semaphore which meant that it would clear when Thorpes Bridge pulled off towards
Rochdale. (It was 'fixed' if Thorpes Bridge pulled off towards Hollinwood.) This gave a slightly strange
illusion to a driver passing Miles Platting box's Down Main signals with Brewery's distants at caution
while being able to see Brewery's home signal with the Thorpes Bridge distant 'off'! There was no
yellow lever on the Up lines because the preceding signals were Thorpes Bridge colour lights and they
would have operated automatically in conjunction with Brewery's. A lot of the time, the sequence was
to accept a train and offer it on. Pull off. Get 'on line'. Send 'on line'. Put the signal lever back.
Send 'train out of section'. Accept the next train. Get 'train out of section' and offer the next train.
Pull off. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. And this was in both directions. From start to finish, this sequence
could take as little as three minutes. Note everything down in the Train Register Book while it was all
happening. There was a nice comfortable chair to sit on at quiet times but it did not see much use.

At Brewery, one had to remember not to accept a train from Miles Platting if a train was coming off
the branch but a train could be accepted onto the branch from Park 1 while a train was passing on the
Main Lines. There was a special Regulation 4 'Clearing Point' on the branch and a severe speed
restriction of 10mph on the branch, over the junction points and crossings on to the Main both ways.

There was an illuminated diagram. The Up and Down Main and Up Goods were all fully track circuited
as well as a short section of the Down Goods at the set of trailing points. The previous diagram was in
situ underneath the current one showing how many of the box's lines had recently been taken away.

https://bit.ly/3rkQj2Q (click 'browse') is a 5½ min video (1990); by the late John Earwicker who filmed
himself working at Brewery Sidings (as at Baguley Fold box: https://bit.ly/3uwrZgB - 9 mins, again
click 'browse'). It gives a good impression of how it was at the time that I was there - the work was
pretty well non-stop. One signalman at Brewery was a model maker and he showed me the live steam
loco that he was in the process of building. I cannot remember what type it was but it looked as if it
would be a fine piece of engineering. Next we can move up the line to the two bigger signal boxes…

996] Settle - Carlisle: Rail Charter Services has cancelled their 2022 'Staycation Express' HST service on
the line due to uncertain economic conditions and rising costs. It is hoped to resume it in 2023.

997] Crewe: (BLN 1396.607) NR was to recover the OOU Coal Siding No9, associated connections and
signage on 17 Apr. The OOU dead end Down Chester Independent line will be recovered from the end
of the line to points CE798 on 19 Apr. Points CE798, the connection with the Up Chester Independent
line, will be plain lined. Points CE795B will also be plain lined, they form the connection between the
OOU Engine Siding (on TRACKmaps 4 p7A 2018 the electrified line shown as 'Loco' next to the Down
Chester line) and the Up Chester Independent line.The Engine Siding track will be recovered later.

998] Now It Can Be Told (68) Crewe crews: By Kevin Driscoll. In Aug 1971 my employer asked me to
do review visits to branches of a preserves manufacturer in Bristol on a Wednesday afternoon, then
Paisley on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, by train of course. The timings 'somehow' meant I
needed to spend Wed night at Crewe, in the Crewe Arms Hotel (very nice when somebody else was
paying the bill). At the time, the line into Crewe Carriage Works from Crewe North Jn was very hard to
do, so next morning at 07.19 I joined the passenger train (06.50 SSuX from Stoke), an unadvertised
staff train after Crewe, into the Works. I thought I would perhaps blend in with office workers on their
way to the Works, but the other passengers were all in boiler suits etc, so I got some odd looks in my
suit and tie with briefcase! After the short ride was over, I headed straight for the main gate, full of
trepidation of a challenge, but luckily the gate staff were only interested in checking people coming in.

The Crewe area generally had a hard reputation as far as trying to cadge rides went, but my late
brother John became a yard inspector at Basford Hall in the mid-1970s. He was able to fix things to a
very limited extent, and one morning in Apr 1976 an ex-member and I were to act as 'messengers',
carrying an envelope into the Works, then another to the PAD (Pre-Assembly Depot) alongside the
Shrewsbury line. Unfortunately a late shift change meant that on arrival we were met not by John, but
by a stony faced inspector. He made it quite clear that we were not at all welcome, but he would
tolerate the arrangements if we then got out of his sight. We then climbed aboard the brakevan of a
train hauled by 08080. This hauled us via the Chester Independent to the very back road of the
Electric Traction Depot, almost to the west end. Here we reversed, and were propelled over the Eagle
Bridge into Crewe Works at Flag Lane sidings. After alighting and delivering our envelope we walked
back to Basford Hall for our second errand. This time we boarded 08132 to travel round the then rare
curve to Gresty Lane, and to the yard office at the start of the Pre-Assembly Depot (PAD) sidings.

A second visit we made was in Oct 1978, and this time a friendly driver had been persuaded to let us
ride along for an hour or two. We climbed aboard 08080 and explored Warehouse Sidings, the Back
Road (west of the Down Independents), and Cart Sidings. Even though it was the same loco as before,
nobody cared because of the choice track.

Earlier mention of 'odd looks' reminded me that a friend who was a Longsight guard used to pass gen
about charters from Manchester Piccadilly, where I commuted to and from work. These would often
feature 'Roarers' (Class 81 to 85 locos), by then not normal passenger performers. One such special
was Piccadilly to Euston at 08.30, with a Stockport stop. This produced a required loco, so I jumped
aboard and got into a compartment which was busy, but not quite full. Again, my suit, tie and
briefcase caused some very odd looks and murmured comments. When I told Pete afterwards, he
burst out laughing. The charter was for Manchester City Council binmen to protest outside Parliament.

999] Burnley Manchester Road: Once a very basic station, Lancashire County Council is planning a
£3.4M project to improve accessibility to westbound P1 (to Preston), with a new footbridge and lifts.

1000] Greater Manchester: The DfT has awarded £1.07bn to improve public transport. As elsewhere,
much will be spent on the bus network but it will also fund new vehicles to extend the Metrolink
network (regular services to Crumpsall bay?) and possibly a new Bury transport interchange.

1001] Bury: Plans to create (yet another!) new interchange are estimated to cost around £70-80M the
first in Greater Manchester to be carbon neutral. The Metrolink platform would be refurbished and
capacity increased, as well as a new shelter and an extra southern step free access. A new vertical
circulation capacity core [who thinks of these things?] will be provided with lift, escalator and stairs to
integrate the Metrolink stop with the new bus and active travel facilities at ground level and potential
for cycle, e-bike parking and cycle hire as well as e-scooter, cargo bikes, and parcel lockers.

1002] Stalybridge: (TRACKmaps 4 p44A Dec 2018) The Atochem Private Siding adjacent to and trailing
into the Up Huddersfield at 1m 74ch on the Guide Bridge line, was installed in 1989 on the south side
of the line. The buffer stop end was at a slightly lower level. Traffic of styrene monomer* (you are not
alone if that doesn't mean much to you) in tanks wagons from Immingham began in early Apr 1990.
*OK, styrene is an organic compound with the chemical formula C8H8, industrially produced from the
dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene and has a strong affinity for the polymerisation process forming,
you've guessed it … polystyrene. The last train of this stuff ran in Mar 2013 as the facility - then our
final polystyrene manufacturing plant - closed. Still shown in the current Sectional Appendix, the main
line connection has been plain lined and the track within the substantial security fence is now lifted.
This is in preparation for the remodelling of Stalybridge Jn, part of the Transpennine Upgrade Project.

1003] Liverpool: (BLN 1394.342) Unsurprisingly Liverpool Baltic (with 78% of the votes) has been
chosen as the name for the new station at the site of St James station betwixt Central and Brunswick.

1004] HS2: A local MP has claimed that the planned Golborne Link (heavily criticised by MPs whose
constituencies will be affected) between the Crewe to Manchester HS2 and the WCML near Golborne
Jn is to be scrapped by the Government. However, the DfT says that no decision has yet been made.

1005] Northwich: (E-BLN 1378.X.128) 11 months after the station roof collapsed, repairs to station are
delayed while local politicians try for government funding to make the station fully accessible with the
rebuild. The current footbridge is not step free! Some passengers have to stay on the train, cross at a
suitable station further on, then return to Northwich for the accessible platform (or vice versa).

1006] Rochdale: The Borough Council has passed a motion calling for three new stations to be
investigated. The council will write to TfGM and Rochdale Stations Alliance to support an investigation.
The three stations: ►Belfield where A644 Rochdale Bypass crosses the railway line northeast of
Rochdale station. ►Heywood near the ELR station. ►Slattocks between Mills Hill and Castleton.

1007] Northern: Against the general background of reductions, Northern's Manchester Piccadilly to
Sheffield service is restored to an hourly service in May, with the 12.49 Piccadilly to Sheffield and
14.14 Sheffield to Piccadilly gaps reinstated. The 14.08 Carlisle to Barrow is extended to Lancaster.

1008] Carlisle: Avanti has applied for planning permission for a regional development centre to train
drivers and crew at the station. The building to be redeveloped is at the far northwest end of P1 & 3
and currently unused. There would be two or three training rooms, break-out spaces, toilets and
kitchenettes and a communications room for IT equipment. The station is Grade II listed but Avanti
has said that care would be taken to ensure alterations match its original look and feel.

1009] Blackpool Heritage Trams: A parade of about a dozen trams is to run between Pleasure Beach
and North Pier on 2 Jun for the Platinum Jubilee, described as 'the largest tram parade the resort has
ever staged'. However, in 1985 there was a 20 tram cavalcade to mark the centenary of the tramway.

1399 SOUTH EAST - NORTH & EAST ANGLIA (Julian James) [email protected]
1010] Fletton Jn: South of Peterborough, on Thur 14 Apr there was a now rare through passenger
train from the ECML onto the Nene Valley Railway. It was LSL stock with 37688+37667 (running as
D6851) double heading 19.01 Lincoln to Orton Mere (21.02). Next day it left at 07.25 for Watlington.
Participants presumably went off by coach (Sandringham?), the ECS ran to Norwich, then Dereham
where passengers rejoined. On 16th it left Dereham at 06.30, doing the main line connection off the
Mid Norfolk Railway at Wymondham. It was part of a private 6-day Easter charter (alright for some!)
from Edinburgh and Alnmouth (14 Apr) via East Anglia and Kent, also with extended breaks at Lincoln,
Stowmarket, Canterbury, Staplehurst and Penshurst (via Ashford & Hastings) before returning home.

1011] St Albans Abbey: (BLN 13.493) 'The Railways of Hertfordshire', FG Cockman, Hertfordshire
Libraries 1978, mentions a presumably short lived St Albans to Rickmansworth through service in
1870/71 via Watford Junction. The David & Charles Bradshaw's April 1910 Railway Guide reprint p437
shows a SuX St Albans departure at 8.40am with Watford Junction times 8.54 to 8.57 then semi-fast
to Euston arriving 9.30. The short time at Watford Junction (compared to other trains), and that it is
not in the same column as a local service from Tring, makes this unlikely to be a change of trains.

BELOW: (Item 1010) The driver of D6851 (37667) is about to surrender the Nen

ne Valley Railway token from Wansford at Orton Mere. (15 Apr 2022 at 07.36.)

BELOW: It's now 07.46 and D6851 (37667) 'Flopsie' crosses Celta Roa

NEXT: 07.57, coming off the Fletton Branch from the Nene Valley Railway on
Other than a lady laying a table for breakfast there was no sign of life. Th
appeared to be set up as a bedroom with an unmade bed visible

ad, Peterborough, on the Fletton branch with the LSL private charter.

nto the ECML Down Slow (bidirectional from the station south to the junction).
here was one Mk3 sleeping car in the consist and one of the other coaches

through one of the windows. (All Nick Garnham, Fri 15 Apr 2022.)